


Nomadic

by Super_Lu



Category: Original Work
Genre: Drama, F/F, Lesbian Character, Love, Queer Themes, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-26
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2019-07-02 20:04:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15803640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Super_Lu/pseuds/Super_Lu
Summary: In The plains of Central Asia, two girls meet and form as fast friendship and rivalry. As the two become older, what was once friendship evolves into something so much more.





	Nomadic

The village was unusually busy this morning, Arzu noted as she watched the adults running all around the camp, folding up the yurts and preparing the horses for a long road coming. She and the other young children sat far off from the chaos, the older children being put to work to help ready whatever they were asked to. Arzu scoffed at her younger brother’s and sister’s wonderment at the deconstruction of their home. She loathed every second of it. As silent as a wolf, Arzu wandered away from the gaggle of children and stomped of to the sheep pens, still untouched for the moment by the swarm of adults. Looking out at the vast steppes, she took a seat on the grass and marveled at the rising sun. It was a favorite past time of hers, to find a moment of solitude away from the rest of the clan and look beyond the horizon. Arzu couldn’t help but wonder what way beyond the faint light of the sunrise and even further beyond that. For all her life it was settled down, pick up, leave and repeat. It was a wonder, she thought, she could really call anything home.

“Arzu! Come help with the sheep!” called her mother. Right behind here was what looked like an army of children, each getting to work like ants collecting nourishment for their queen. Arzu grumbled and got up in a huff, not loud enough for anyone to notice, to help with the destruction of their latest home, her longings and thoughts lost on the winds of the steeps. 

* * *  
Dilara closed her eye and took aim with bow in hand. They barely trembled as she pulled back on the bowstring, her eyes set to the target her father had made for her out of discarded wood they had come around in their travels.

“Remember to control your breathing. Eye trained on your target. Relax…relax.” Dilara’s father advised, resting his hand on her tiny shoulder to steady her. She inhaled once more and let go, her arrow sailing through the air and cutting the wind like a knife. With a thunk, the arrow hit the target, a few inches off from the center. Dilara exhaled and smiled, not trying to hard to hide her obvious excitement. Her father laughed, patting her on the head as he strode forward, Dilara hot on his heels.

“Excellent shot! If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you would be a match for your older brother in a few years time.” He smiled as he pulled the arrow out and held it aloft in his large hands. Dilara took it with glee and smiled as bright as the full moon.

“Do you think I will be able to go on a hunt soon father?” Her father shook his head, very familiar with this ceaseless question.

“We can talk about that more after the winter passes. For now, let’s keep practicing your marksmanship and help your mother prepare for our guests.” Dilara nodded and ran off, leaving her father far behind her. Just under the hill where she practiced, Dilara could see the forest of yurts below, the smell of food wafting out as she began her decent into the clans home. She ran in between bustling adults, over benches and children at play with ease, arriving at the center most yurt before her father even got down the hill. Inside the yurt, the sounds of women talking and laughing bounced around the canvas. In the center of it all Dilara’s Mother barked orders and commands to her older daughters and their children about the large yurt. Dilara rushed in and wrapped her mother’s legs in a big hug, bumping into one of her sisters walking buy with a plate of mutton and almost sending her spiraling to the floor.

“Mother! I almost got the center of the target today! Father said I might be able to go on a real hunt soon!” Her mother sighed, slapping her daughter on the head and looked down sternly at her.

“What do you think you’re doing?! You know today is important for the clan. Get dressed into a proper outfit, and go help your sisters!” With a not so gentle nudge, Dilara’s mother sent her away and went back to her own preparations, continuing to shout out more instructions as she left the yurt to check on the other clan members. Her daughters all sighed in relief as the tarp flew back down with her leaving, the girls slowing down and chatting once again freely. 

Dilara mumbled and frowned as she went to her small area of the yurt and undressed from her hunting munisak to her formal outfit, the dress a mix of black and red with gold trimmings. With a huff, she wandered from her room and went to help her sisters, the other girls patting the upset child’s head whenever she passed. Soon they had finished their preparations, and the clan had gathered on the south end of their home and waited in the midday sun.

Not long after the clan had gathered outside, the ground begin to tremble. From the horizon Dilara could see a cloud of dust begin to rise, the same one she had seen every year since she was just a baby. From the dust came a smudge of brown that stained the blue sky. In moments the smudge became more distinct and their shapes could be seen from afar. Horses, powerful and strong, about a hundred of them came out of the dust. Even from so far, Dilara felt she could hear their heavy breathing as they ran, carrying an entire people from so far away. She felt her heart race thinking about when she would learn to finally ride one as powerful as those.

The horses came to a stop only a stones throw from the village of yurts. A man with a large beard dismounted his horse and strode forward. He walked over to Dilara’s father and the two stood as still as a tree, their stares unmoving. The bearded man, unable to contain his smile, laughed aloud and hugged Dilara’s father. 

“It is good to see you again Erol! It has been far too long!” 

“Günhan, it has only been half a year!” Erol chuckled, hugging his long time friend back. “Let’s get your people settled and then we feast! The roads must have been long indeed.” He led his friend forward while the men and women on their horses dismounted, and quickly began to unpack their lives once again. With the two tribes together, in only a few hours, the village of yurts had grown twice as large that day and the sounds of celebration and feasting echoed across the plains.

* * *  
The party had gone on for hours and Arzu was barley keeping her eyes open, the chatter of the people around her grew more distant as her eyes drooped down every few moments. A nudge from one of her brothers brought her back for a moment, and she smiled sweetly to the people around. It was not easy hiding a few days ride from complete strangers. 

Arzu realized, then, that even thought she had for entire life come and joined this clan for the autumn and winter months, she did not know any of them. She never looked at those around her, not recognizing a single face gathered in the clan leader’s yurt. The faces of the people she would have called friends from just a year before now looked like strangers, time turning even the youngest of them into adults by now. The young children, too, looked nothing like she had remembered. It was a room of strangers. 

Arzu was tired. In this whole room she didn’t she feel any inclination of kinship or familiarity. Time seemed to have taken that from her.

“Has anyone seen Dilara? I swear when I get my hands on that girl…” Arzu looked up from her thoughts to see a very upset older woman pacing around the yurt. She recognized her quickly as the matron of the clan they had joined for the winter. The woman stomped over to her husband, looking at him grimly. “Erol, my love, you need to instill some discipline into that child. At this rate who knows when she will ever find a husband!” Erol laughed, shrugging off his wife’s worries.

“She is high spirited for sure, but I don’t think there is much to worry about. She must be out playing somewhere with the children who arrived today. Relax, love, and enjoy the party with us.” He turned to Günhan and laughed, pouring his friend another cup of koumiss. His wife stared daggers at Erol as she stomped away. 

“I can find her ma’am.” Arzu called out as the woman passed her.She knew it wouldn’t be wise to get involved to much with another’s issues, but the company of these strangers had become unbearable. The woman turned around and saw who called her out. She bowed politely, giving the young girl a smile of pure gratitude. Yet she shook her head no at the child’s off of aid. 

“Thank you for your help, dear, but I could not let a guest do such a thing. What kind of host would I be to ask someone so young to help?” Arzu’s mother laughed, standing up and bowing low to the worried woman.

“Do not worry. My daughter is quite clever and capable. A little fresh air and a walk wouldn’t hurt I think.” She smiled at her daughter and gestured for her to leave. Arzu smiled gratefully and stoop in front of the worried woman, awaiting her approval.

“It would be my pleasure to help you find your daughter, ma’am. I think if I see her face I’ll be able to figure out who she is.” 

Dilara’s mother sighed, but in the end relented.

“Thank you, dear. When you see that child of mine, please feel free to slap her on the head.” She bowed politely once again, before going back to her husband’s side, still looking very cross at the whole situation. Arzu left the yurt in a hurry and finally sighed in relief when the canvas closed behind her. The feeling of the cool autumn breeze chilled the sweat on her face. It was a bit of a biting cold, but it was enough to give life to Arzu’s weary mind as she moved away from the commotion and further out into the outskirts of the tents, where the sounds of celebration settled down and she was left with only the night sky and her own thoughts again.

The sounds from the village of yurts became quiet and distant. It felt like she Arzu wandered into another world completely. The silence was a sweetness that Arzu savored, knowing the next two seasons would not bring her any kind of peace. A sudden and constant plucking from beyond the lights of the camp cut through Arzu’s piece and directed her attention up a large hill that overlooked the yurts. A soft twing came from above and drew Arzu to it like a moth to a flame.

As she got towards the top of the hill, Arzu ducked just before reaching the top of the hill and looked around to see what could be making such a curious noise. The plucking was instantly replaced with the sound of an arrow cutting through the air and the thud of wood being pierced. Arzu looked to see the shooter, and in the moon light saw a girl, not much older than her, standing alone with a bow in hand. Even though her face was cast in shadow, Arzu could tell the girl was smiling with how well she shot. Arzu watched the girl produce another arrow from the quiver by her feet, and nock the arrow into place.

She slowed her breathing, eyes focused only on the target. Arzu held her breath, feeling as tense as the bowstring being pulled. In an instant, the arrow flew quickly through the air, a small gasp leaving Arzu. Dilara turned to the noise, the excitement on her face melting into nervousness with the sight of another person. She quickly tried to hide the bow behind her back, backing away nervous.

“He…hello? Who’s there?” Dilara called out to the darkness. Arzu sighed, standing up and walking over to Dilara, hands raised in a sign of friendship.

“Your mother asked me to look for you, I think. Your name is Dilara, right?” Arzu said, brushing grass of her munisak. Dilara stiffened at the mention of her mother, but Arzu pretended not to notice. Instead of approaching Dilara, Arzu took a sudden turn and marched over to where the arrow had hit. She examined the target ad whistled quietly to herself. Its surface was made up entirely of notches, none of its original smooth surface remaining from months or years of practice shots. Arzu looked back at Dilara, her face with a look of dread with the thought of her mother finding out about her late night practice. Arzu couldn’t help but smile as she watched the girls every changing expressions.

“You shoot pretty well.” Arzu mentioned, motioning to the arrow. “Have you gone on a hunt yet?” Dilara looked up, surprised by Arzu not running off to tell on her and blushing at the complement.

“Not yet. My father said maybe next winter I can start. He said I am really amazing!” Arzu nodded,not really listening to her boasting and focused more on the arrow.

“I can see why he’d say that. You’re pretty good, but with a shot like this I don’t think you’d hit anything really. Especially on horseback.” Dilara’s excitement came to a screeching halt, her eyes now completely focused on the kneeling girl.

“Wha…what do you mean?! My dad said I’m almost as good as my older brother! Do you think you can do better?” Dilara was suddenly furious. This strange girl who interrupted her precious time dare say she wasn’t good enough? “You heard me! Do you think you can do better?” She whined, crossing her arms like a baby throwing a tantrum. Arzu said nothing. She stood up and in an instant was eye to eye with Dilara.

Dilara now realized, when she was not so far off, that she was very tall for her age. Arzu loomed over the smaller girl, and reached out her hand. She flinched and moved back a bit, worried the girl might try to hit her. 

“Bow.” She demanded. Dilara, uncomfortable with the taller girls stare, sheepishly handed her treasured bow over. Arzu grabbed an arrow for the quiver at their feet and pulled it tight against the string. In the silence, Dilara could hear the bow stretch back with the larger girls pull, her hand as still as a stone. Arzu breathed slowly, steading her hands and focusing her eyes only on the target in front.

She didn’t get it. Arzu didn’t understand why she cared so much about proving this girl wasn’t as great as she believed. Looking at that smug face bothered Arzu to no end, and soon a fire in her belly ignited like she hadn’t felt before.

Inhale, exhale. One last inhale and she let the arrow fly. It sped as fast as a falling start, making a noise like a bird’s whistle as it tore through the air. With a loud thud, it collided with the wooden target. Dilara thought she saw the heavy target move back a bit from the force of the blow, but wasn’t sure if that was just her imagination or not.

Dilara was left speechless. She slowly shuffled to the target, her feet feeling as heavy as a ram. She looked at the target and gasped, the arrow sticking out dead center of the wood, one of the few places left unscuffed by her many arrows. She pulled at the arrow and could not free it from its wooden prison. She tugged and pulled, and after what felt like a hundred attempts, fell on her backside with the arrow in hand. She gasped and wheezed, exhaustion filling her lungs from just the attempt to remove the arrow. 

“That,” Arzu commented, looking down at the very tired girl, “is how you shoot.” Dilara shot back up to her feet, her face contorted in anger. Arzu thought she was getting ready to fight, but her face kept changing from furious to amazed. She couldn’t tell which was which honestly and hoped the girl could eventually decided. Arzu noted it took a new route and became redder and redder.

“Teach me to do that!” Dilara shouted, her hands clutching tightly to her robe as she looked down at the ground. Arzu was a bit shocked. A bit at herself and at this girls request. She usually wouldn’t bother showing off to others, but something about this girl bothered her enough to try and squelch her pride. Yet now that girl was swallowing it up and asking to be taught by her.

“Are you sure?” Was all Arzu could manage to say. Dilara grasped her hands and held them up, Arzu blushing fiercely.

“You are much better than me. I hate to admit it…but you showed me I can get so much better. Please teach me to shoot just as good as that. No, not the same, better even!” There was a shine in Dilara’s eyes that she rarely saw in the other girls from her village. She laughed, not understanding these feelings but loving them all the same. The loneliness she felt from before started to disappear as Dilara’s eyes burned the thoughts away.

“Okay. Let’s meet up here every night and practice together. I’ll be sure to keep it a secret from your mother.” Arzu smiled, squeezing Dilara’s hands tight. Dilara did the same, blushing and smiling brighter than the sun.

“Thank you! My name is Dilara. It is nice to meet you.”

“I figured. Your mother asked me to find you. My name is Arzu. Let’s head back for now and start tomorrow.” With that Arzu took Dilara’s hand and began walking back to the yurts below the hill. Dilara smiled and followed her step by step.

* * *

For the rest of the fall and winter, Dilara and Arzu met every night to practice. It was difficult at first for Dilara to take Arzu’s “tough love” style of teaching, with the taller girl being very blunt about her mistakes and not saying anything to reassure her. Yet as the season went on Arzu began to become less strict and smiled more, seeing Dilara becoming more and more confident and skilled. The two girls began to talk more and more, and soon they were always together in the yurt village, one never far apart from the other

As spring began, it was time for the two girls to go their separate ways for the moment. Dilara cried as Arzu got on her horse.

“Are you gonna come back?” Dilara sobbed. Arzu scoffed, riding over to the smaller girl and patting her head

“I’ll be back next fall with everyone else. In the meantime keep practicing with your bow and try to grow a bit taller.” Dilara smiled and playfully swatted off Arzu’s hand. The two waved their goodbyes with the beginning of spring, new life born into the both of their hearts.

* * *

Dilara rode ahead of Arzu, her horse speeding ahead after the hare.

“Keep up Arzu! It’d getting away!” Arzu scoffed, leaning foward and urging her steed to go faster. Within a second she was soon pulling next to the hare, taking out her bow with lightning speed. She easily took the shot, the arrow piercing through the hare’s soft fur and skin and hitting it right in its heart. The thing fell dead on the spot, not a noise leaving its throat as it lay in the winter sun. Dilara rode up and scooped up the hare, tossing it to her friend.

“Another great shot, Teacher. How many did you catch today?” Dilara asked, pulling her horse right beside her friends. Arzu quickly pulled out the other hares that hung from her saddle, counting them up quickly.

“Four for the night. Not too bad.” Dilara laughed evily, showing off her five rabbits.

“I beat you again, Teacher. Will our positions eventually change, I wonder?” Anzu laughed elbowing her friends ribs and she trotted her way home.

“I swear the better you get, the more obnoxious you become. Also, please stop calling me teacher. You haven’t needed my help for a good year now.” Dilara caught up and rode side by side, the two enjoying the setting sun.

“That’s not true. You’re always with me to help me when I mess up. I might have gotten good at hunting but the rest of my skills are lacking, I have been told.” Dilara scratched her head, embarrassed that she was only good at one thing. Arzu nodded her agreement.

“Your mother was telling me you have no skill in cooking, cleaning, or keeping your head out of the clouds.” She looked at Dilara, sighing dramatically. “Even your embroidery skills are worse than a childes. How are you to find a husband at this rate?!” Arzu mocked, giving a perfect rendition of Dilara’s mothers face when talking about her daughter. It pissed her off to no bounds, and she gave Arzu a swift kick to the leg. Arzu laughed as she sped forward, Dilara’s kick missing its mark.

“At least your face is beautiful! The boys will be flocking for you any day now.” Dilara blushed fiercely, her heart skipping the beat with her words. She looked at Arzu from behind and noticed how much she had changed since they became friends three years ago. Even though they were both thirteen, Dilara thought Arzu was a true beauty, her black hair shining in the setting sun and her face as lovely as the flowers that grew every spring.

“How about you?” Dilara asked, unsure if she wanted to hear the answer. “Have your parents picked a husband for you yet?” Arzu scoffed, looking back to her friend with a face that said it all.

“I’ve been told I’m too ‘strong willed’ and ‘aggressive’ by every suitor that has darkened our doorstep. If I never find a husband it’d be a blessing. I have no time for anyone who can not keep up with me.” Dilara smiled happily. She felt a relief in her chest she didn’t quite understand, but felt it was important. She rode up next to Arzu and held her hand, squeezing it gently.

“I’m sure someone is out there for you. No matter what I’ll try to be next to you. Forever.” Arzu blushed and looked down, trying to hide the happy tears that came down from her cheeks.

* * *

The sting of the slap still warm on her cheek, Dilara cried as her mother stormed out from the yurt. Four years had come and gone since the hunt began to find a suitor for their wayward daughter and still nothing had come from their efforts. She was too unskilled, unfit to be a wife they were told repeatedly. No man would want a woman that could simply hunt and wash clothes. Dilara’s father was concerned for his daughter, but not truly surprised or upset by this. Her mother, on the other hand, was furious. She had married off all her other daughters with ease, but with Dilara it was always a problem. She could not take another failed embroidered scarf and had stormed off in a fit.

Dilara stood up and wandered away from her home, towards the hill where she and Arzu met all those years ago and tried to dry her tears as the autumn wind sent them drizzling to the dry earth.

“I knew you’d be here.” Dilara turned, and saw Arzu behind with a blanket in hand. Arzu took her hand and walked her past the hill and father out past the camp, to where there was a small lake the clans people procured their water. The two sat on the shore line, Dilara lying back on Arzu’s chest and feeling her friend’s heart beat, the two covered in the warm blanket.

“I saw your mother storming off. Are you alright?” Arzu lifted her hand to Dilara’s cheek, rubbing in gingerly to help ease the pain. Dilara smiled, leaning back further to rest her head against her friends chest. 

“Suitor troubles?” She asked after some time. Dilara nodded and buried her head deeper into Arzu’s chest. 

“Be careful. You out grew me a long time ago. You’re like a giant now.” Dilara laughed, forgetting how much bigger she had become. Arzu stopped growing some time ago, while Dilara continued to spring up like a weed. Her father made jokes about how she was bigger than most men, her mother never taking well to such jokes.

“What if I don’t want a husband?” Dilara whisper to the wind, holding her friend tighter. “What if there is no man I love or want to share myself with. Do you think that strange, Arzu?” She looked up, and saw her friend smiling. 

“No, I don’t think it strange at all. I’ve felt I shall never be married, either recently, and much to the dismay of my parents I do not think it a bad thing.” She petted Dilara’s hair gently, feeling the softness tickle her hands.

Dilara felt her heart soar. Hearing her dismiss marraige was like a weight lifted from her shoulders. To know she would never be sent away, to always be close by was like a dream. She looked up to her friends soft lips, and gingerly reached up, brushing her hand against them. Arzu laughed taking Dilara’s hand in her own and squeezing it tight, her own heart beating as fast as a horses during a hunt. She looked back out to the endless plains ahead, and still held on.

“If there is no man for me, so be it. I rather be alone than with some husband to order me around. Besides,” she added, picking up Dilara’s face by her chin, the two matching eyes, “that would mean I would be separated from you. And I can not live without you.”

Dilara’s heart flew up into her mouth, her face as red as the rising sun. Her eyes were blind to the world around her except for Arzu’s eyes, the always calm and cool eyes that calmed her burning soul. Dilara got onto her knees, now looking down at Arzu. She smiled, and then pressed her lips against hers.

Arzu felt herself melt. She never wanted this moment to end. She took Delara and the two tumbled int he grass, never letting their lips part for long. It ended, and the two looked at one another and realized these feelings they always had, but could never say.

“Let’s run.” Arzu said, Dilara’s eye going wide with surprise. Arzu stood up, grabbing her lover’s hands and putting them against her beating heart. “I don’t know what is past the horizon, but whatever it is we can face it together. We can go wherever we want and be with whoever we want. As long as I am with you, Dilara, I can brave anything.

Dilara cried, tears of happiness staining her cheeks and dripping into the fabric of her robes. It was like a flood had washed away all her fears and doubts from her heart. She stood up slowly and nodded.

“As long as I am with you, my love, I can do anything.” They kissed again as the sun set and the moon began its ascent into the sky. The end of one day and the beginning of another.

The next day, no one could find head nor hair of Arzu or Dilara. Their horses were gone and no tracks were left. It was as if the two disappeared. Their people mourned the loss of the two women, but as time moved on, so to did their hearts and feelings. Soon the names Arzu and Dilara were a pleasant memory on the lips of their people and so they would remain.

In a village, far away from the steeps from which they grew, two older women sat in their home, holding hands as they watched the rising of a new day.


End file.
